Back to You
by carrotop24
Summary: Companion to Hotel Paper. Tristan is free, Rory is tied down to Logan. Tristan already lost her once and will do anything to try not to lose her again. But will Rory have enough faith in him and in herself to give him a second chance? A Trory, I promise
1. Chapter One

Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls. Lo siento.

A/N: Alright, so I said that I finished Hotel Paper. And I did. It is complete. This is a _companion_. Not a sequel, because that says that whatever happens in this story is _definitely _what happens after Hotel Paper. In my opinion a companion is more optional. Hotel Paper can stand alone, or, if you were unhappy with the ending (like many of you were) than this is a continuation.

Why write more when I loved my ending? You guys guilted me into it. I got so many reviews from angry readers who felt that my story wasted their time, and that made me sad. I don't like to waste people's time, I like my stories to matter. So, although _I_ am fond of the way Hotel Paper, I also like this idea as a close second.

So here you go. And although I was unaware of the unwritten law that apparently states that saying TRORY means it will _end_ a Trory, I used the term. I apologize. I always thought that the term just summed up the central relationship. Oops.

**This will end a TRORY. I promise to you all.**

I hope you enjoy it.

Chapter One: Like a Penguin out of Ice

Tristan looked at his watch. It was already seven twenty-eight, and no one had come looking for him. He looked up into the evening sky, but it was still bright; the summer sun would not set for another hour or so. The June bugs had already started chirping, reminding Tristan how still and humid the evening was. He loosened his bow tie.

At seven thirty-two he jumped off of the stone wall he had been sitting on and walked down a small dirt path that he knew led to the parking lot. There was no need to worry about the clothes and things that he had left inside; he didn't really want them anyway.

He reached his '67 mustang with its newly-painted black exterior and pulled his keys out of his pockets, glad that he had thought to carry them. Maybe he always knew that this would happen. Maybe this was always the plan.

Inside he started the car and saw that it was seven fifty-one. Maybe everyone else expected him to do this too.

He thought of Shelly in her twelve thousand dollar designer gown and sighed. Things should never have gotten this far. She had been right that summer when she told him that he needed to get his independence before things were too late. But he had been scared, the world was too large, too frightening. Hartford was comfort, Shelly was stability. Independence was Europe, and Europe was…well, Europe was Rory. As he sped away he couldn't get her blue eyes out of his head, he couldn't forget the look of pain and disappointment that had clouded her eyes when he told her that he wouldn't leave Shelly.

Was she still with Logan Huntzberger? He had sent invitations to both of them, but both declined. Huntzberger, of all people. How could she choose Logan over him. But she never had a choice, did she? God, he was such an ass for letting her go.

-----

"No, he was busy this afternoon, we didn't get a chance to talk for more than, like, a second."

"Busy, huh?"

"Mom."

"I didn't say anything."

"We go through this every time we talk, Mom. Logan is running that business almost single-handedly. He has a lot on his mind and on his desk. There is just never time-"

"I know, Ror."

"He's just busy," she repeated, sighing into her phone. Rory looked up as the bartender walked down her end of the bar and she pointed at her glass. He nodded and walked away to fix her another drink.

"So…Luke?"

It was Lorelai's turn to sigh, and Rory's already burdened heart sank just a little bit lower.

"No kiddo."

"So Logan never told you when he is coming home?"

"He was thinking he could come back sometime in October, because he can't get home for Thanksgiving. But he thinks now that he might have to go to Japan on business. I know he's flying to California in December, and he was thinking I can meet him. But I have finals…"

"It will work itself out, honey. You guys have made it through the past year living an ocean apart. Don't write it all off now."

Rory nodded slightly even though she knew her mother couldn't see. She just couldn't bare to try to sound optimistic when she was feeling like their whole relationship was so hopeless.

"I need to get back to work," Lorelai said sadly. "Michelle is staring at me like a lost puppy. I'll see you Monday for lunch?"

"I'm looking forward to it," Rory responded earnestly. She said goodbye and closed her phone as she reached for the Cosmopolitan that the bartender slid across the table.

"You know, they always say you shouldn't drink alone."

Rory spun around to face the voice and her eyes widened at what she saw. She recovered quickly, however.

"I'm not alone. My posse is in the bathroom."

"Did Rory Gilmore just say 'posse?'"

"Did Tristan Dugrey just be so hypocritical as to lecture about drinking habits?"

He chuckled and leaned over to kiss her cheek before he slid onto the barstool next to her. He noticed that her face was pleasant but her eyes were clouded, troubled.

"So why fly solo tonight, Mary? You look a little lonely…"

"Why fly so far from the north pole? You seem to resemble a penguin…"

"Ouch!" Tristan said, mocking hurt. "You dare to criticize my style?"

"Well, Frank's Fiesta Bar and Grill is hardly the type of establishment that receives guests in tuxedos on a daily basis. Or ever, for that matter. Where were you, a wedding or something?"

Tristan nodded. Rory glanced up at the neon clock on the wall. It was only eight fourteen.

"Did you skip out early or something?"

He smirked and Rory felt the familiar twinge that always accompanied his simple gesture. "I never even made it inside," he shrugged.

Rory shook her head, a smile playing at her lips. "And you won't be missed?"

"No…I will be."

"I'm sure there are hundreds of people there. One less won't make a difference." She took a sip of her drink. "Whose wedding was it, anyway?"

She watched as he smirked again, but his eyes were serious. "Mine," he shrugged.

Rory put down her glass and it clattered loudly with the counter. "Yours? Shelly's?"

He nodded again as her heart skipped a beat.

"You just left without telling anyone?"

Tristan reached out towards her drink. "May I?"

Rory nodded. "I think you need it more than I do."

"What is this?"

"Cosmopolitan."

Tristan frowned, but took a sip. He looked down the bar and saw the bartender down at the far end.

"Congratulations," Rory managed to say through the disbelief that crowded her mind.

Tristan smirked. "A little late, but better late then never, right?"

The bartender walked past, and Tristan asked him for a beer which he grabbed from under the counter, opened, and slid across the counter in one fluid movement.

"Why did you do it?" she asked, cutting past polite and straight to what was burning her soul. Why now and not two summers ago when they were together? But she didn't say that part. She figured that he knew what she meant. He had always been good at that.

He took a long pull of beer and sighed. If he couldn't tell Rory, Rory who had been part of his soul for so many years, who could he tell? So what if they had only been sitting together for five minutes.

"I was in so deep, it felt like getting out was chicken. I felt like I couldn't back out when the plans were being made or when I remembered how many years had gone by. But I decided that what was even _more_ chicken that chickening out was going through with it. Shelly deserves someone better than me. I deserve someone better than me."

Rory had to look away from the pain in his eyes. She finished her drink, but refused a third from the bartender. The clock only read eight thirty.

"So why are you way out in New Haven?" she asked.

"The wedding was right down the street," he replied. He finished his beer and shook his head. "I can't go home tonight."

"Shelly will be there?"

Tristan shrugged. "I haven't even slept in our apartment yet," he answered. "I just got back from school a few weeks ago and I've been staying at my parents' house." He smoothed a hand over his wrinkled forehead. "I can't go home tonight."

Rory's mind was racing. Was he asking her, in his not so subtle-Tristan way, to go home with her? And if he was, what did that mean? Home like to sleep or home like to-

"Are there any hotels around here?" he asked, interrupting her thoughts. Rory let out an inward sigh of relief. She couldn't bring him to her apartment. To Logan's apartment. There was still too much that was left unsaid, too much tension between them to welcome him as a roommate. Not when she was trying so desperately to keep things glued together with Logan.

"Um, yah. There's a Hilton down the road a bit, close to campus," she answered, collecting her thoughts.

Tristan nodded and stood. He threw a wad of bills on the counter. "Are you coming?" he asked when he noticed that Rory was still seated.

She looked at him skeptically.

"It could be like old times. You, me, the mini bar…"

Rory bit her lip apprehensively.

"What, is Logan waiting at home for you or something?" he asked, his face still but his eyes searching.

She shook her head, surprised at the pang that she felt at the reality that there would be no one waiting for her. Just a cold, empty apartment that was ridden with memories.

Tristan saw the struggle in her face and held out his hand to guide her off her chair. She accepted it and as soon as she was on her feet he slipped his hand to the small of her back, back to the position that had grown so comfortable several summers ago.

He could feel the moment that things changed for him. He knew that she was always in the back of his mind, but here, tonight, was the moment that he had let slip away. He wanted her to be his, wholly and completely. He wanted to wipe away whatever damage Logan was doing to her. It pained him to see her like this.

He only hoped that she could feel his change too. But she was skeptical, lonely, and afraid of the way her heart kept beating irregularly.

Thanks you guys


	2. Chapter Two

Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls. Who checks this anyway?

A/N: Thanks for all of the reviews, I really appreciate hearing your guys' opinions on Hotel Paper and on the direction of this story. Like I said, you may rest assured that this is Rory and Tristan will be together in the end. And to those of you who worry that this story is only being written out of a sense of obligation, that isn't true. I wouldn't write it unless I was excited about it. I may not have planned on writing it, but that does not mean that I don't love it. And I apologize that I won't be able to post this as frequently as I posted Hotel Paper. I had already completed that story before I posted it, so all I had to do was upload a chapter every day. But things are crazy right now, and I'm already kicking myself for starting something when I already have too much on my plate.

But I do this every year in June when I should be putting all my attention into the end of school. I guess I just like to take my mind off of math finals...but whocould blame me?

Chapter Two: Golden Slumbers

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Like what?"

"Like I just shot a man. It was only a boat."

Tristan scooted down on the bed so that he was lying on his side; Rory remained propped up against the headboard. "I'm just surprised, is all."

Rory averted her eyes, but not before catching his look of disappointment turn into a smirk.

"Mary, Mary, Mary. You never cease to surprise me."

She turned back to him, not taking part in the joke. Her face was still, but her eyes were not cold or distant.

"Three years ago you come to me saying that my sweet Mary had slept with a married man. She was an adulterer if you must. And now here we are. You stole a boat, went to jail, did hundreds of hours of community service which included highway trash pickup, dropped out of Yale," he shook his head and tsk'd at her. "I never thought I would see the day that my Mary had a longer criminal record than I did."

"Well technically the only part of what you mentioned was the boat and the community service…"

"Although you think I am some evil criminal, Mary, I shall inform you that I do not have a record."

That simple statement coupled with the smug grin on his face caused Rory to glare at him. But Tristan only laughed and mocked bowing down to her.

"Stop it," she pleaded. He did not obey, so she got off the bed and headed to the mini bar. She pulled the last bottle of alcohol out, and opened it quickly.

"Well, I've told you all about myself, but what have you been up to?" she asked, trying desperately to change the subject.

Tristan shrugged. "I graduated…"

Rory congratulated him, and passed him the bottle. He took a long pull.

"What else?"

"I walked out on Shelly."

Rory nodded. She wanted to press him for more details but she understood that he had none to give. Although her life had been full of experiences and milestones, Tristan seemed to have spent the years walking the same path he had been on the last time they had seen one another.

They allowed a few minutes to pass in silence as they passed the bottle between them. Tristan picked at the comforter as he tried to work up the courage to ask her about Logan.

"So…Huntzberger?" he finally spat out. It sounded a little more bitter than he had intended, but it would have to do.

Rory nodded without looking up at him. "Yah, Logan."

"Are you still together?"

She nodded again as she tried to ignore the twinge of guilt that flooded into her chest. How would Logan react if he found out that she was in a hotel room drinking with another guy? With an ex no less? He probably wouldn't think much of it, she realized. A sigh escaped Rory's lips, expelling some of the hurt that the thought had caused her.

Tristan studied her carefully. "Where is he?" he asked quietly.

"London."

"For vacation?"

Rory shook her head and sank down on the pillows until she was on her side facing Tristan. "He runs the London branch of his father's corporation. He's been there for just over a year now."

"Do you see him often?" he asked, not caring if he was pushing a boundary.

"I flew out during my Spring Break, but I probably won't be seeing him again until Christmas."

Tristan heard the struggle in her voice; the simple statement had come out in a forced calm, but he could see the hurt that the separation was causing her. He could hear it in her voice and see it reflected in her eyes.

"Is there a plan?" he asked, pushing further.

Rory shrugged her shoulder. "I guess we will see what happens when after I finish grad school…"

"But until then?"

She shook her head again. "Look, Tristan. I really don't want to talk about all of this. It's late, and I should be going."

"Where?"

"Home," she answered. She remained laying on the bed.

"You can't drive like this."

"You drove me here, anyway. I'll get a cab," she said half-heartedly.

"Don't be so stupid."

"Don't call me stupid, stupid," she said, drowsily.

Tristan smiled. Her comebacks were at the fourth grade level; she was falling asleep.

"Stay with me?" he whispered.

"You're a big boy, the boogie man won't eat you."

"I just left my fiancée, you can't leave me alone in my grief tonight."

"Grief?" Rory snorted.

"Please," he whispered.

She stood up slowly and navigated her way across the room.

"Ror?"

"Relax," she called back to him. "I'm just going to the bathroom."

Tristan smiled and stood too. He removed his tux jacket, tie, and cumber bun and tossed them on the chair. He hesitated for a moment. He was uncomfortable in his shirt and pants, but thought it would be inappropriate to remove them--it might bother Rory.

But he pushed all thoughts aside and removed his restrictive clothing until he wore nothing but his boxers.

"Tristan," Rory scolded when she stepped out of the bathroom and saw him tossing his clothes onto the sitting chair.

"Yes," he replied innocently.

"What are you doing?"

"Getting ready for bed."

Rory just stared at him.

"Well I usually sleep in the nude, but I thought that--"

Rory shook her head and scolded him again.

"You act like you have never seen me naked before," he said, his face serious but his tone teasing.

"I know I have, but--"

"And did you or did you not enjoy my nudity?"

"Well…"

"Rory?"

"I did but--"

"Thank you," he said, moving his hands to the waistband of his boxers and moving to slip them off.

"Tristan!" she yelled.

"Kidding, kidding," he replied putting his hands in the air. Rory just shook her head and lie back down on the bed. Tristan joined her, and they laid in silence for several minutes.

"So you didn't even tell Shelly?" she asked at length.

"No," Tristan sighed. "I couldn't."

"Do you regret it?"

Tristan could feel her eyes searching his face, waiting to read the truth in his eyes. He kept his gaze resolutely on the ceiling. "I know I will tomorrow."

The silence set in on them again. When he thought she had drifted off to sleep, he spoke. "Thank you for staying with me," he whispered.

"Thank you for staying with me," she responded, making Tristan's heart skip a beat.

Tristan leaned over and kissed her forehead softly, eliciting a soft sigh from her pink lips. He pulled the heavy comforter over them, and drifted off to sleep to the sound of her soft, steady breathing.

---

---

Rory stirred in Tristan's arms, causing him to wake up. He was surprised to find her there, surprised to see how easy it had been to pull her back to him in sleep. He couldn't help but think about how beautiful she was.

She woke up shortly, pulling away from him as she stretched.

"Ugh," she grumbled. "My head is _killing_ me."

"Well you did empty out the mini bar…"

She yawned in concession. "What time is it?"

"One eighteen," he said, checking the clock by the bed.

"In the afternoon?"

He closed his eyes and nodded. His head hurt too. He didn't usually get hangovers, but he must have lost track of how much he drank last night.

Rory groaned and buried her face in the soft, down pillow. All she could think about was her head and the fact that she had just spent the night with Tristan. Even if nothing had happened it just felt so…

Tristan's cell phone rang, the noise piercing through each of their heads. Tristan reluctantly crawled out of bed in order to find it and silence the noise. It was on the floor next to his discarded jacket. He checked the call ID; it was his father. He quickly silenced the phone and put it on the bedside table before getting back into bed.

They both fell asleep again, sleeping off their hangovers. When Tristan awoke there was a note from Rory. She had returned home, but promised to call him the next day. He looked at his cell phone. There were six missed calls, all of them from his father.


	3. Chapter Three

Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls or the characters/places associated with the show.

A/N KeitaWolf- I hope you didn't fail your Physics exam. But I know what it is like to put off schoolwork for ff.n. Ahhh, I can't wait until summer…

Chapter Three

Tristan flipped his phone opene and examined the missed call list. Shelly had not called him once. He had to smile at the irony; his father was more concerned about him leaving his own wedding than the bride was.

His cell phone read four twenty eight. The sooner he did this, the sooner it would all be over. But he was still afraid of the confrontation; this was the moment he had been putting off for his entire life. This was the moment that he had left Rory to avoid.

He opened the address book in his phone and scrolled through all of the names, the hundreds of names of girls whose faces he could not remember. He made a mental note to delete some of those numbers. He settled on his father's name and pressed the SEND button before he could back down.

Tristan sat on the edge of the bed, curled over, defensive. He lifted the phone to his ear as the first ring sounded through the earpiece. Two, three, four rings passed. In the middle of the fifth ring the line switched over to James Dugrey's voicemail.

Tristan let his phone snap closed, the ironic smile back on his lips. That was just like his father. He showed worry and anger, but only on his own schedule. With a sigh, Tristan tossed the phone onto the bedside table and flopped back against the pillows.

--

--

"I thought you would never come,"

"I'm ten minutes late. Seven if you go by the clock in my car."

Lorelai looked at her daughter with a woeful expression.

"What?" Rory asked as she tossed her purse on the table and sank down next to her mother on the living room sofa.

"You promised me coffee," she sighed.

"You wouldn't accept Starbucks."

"That stuff is crap."

Rory shrugged. "That is all I can offer you."

Lorelai let out a little grumble but settled back against the pillows. "So, you weren't answering your phone yesterday."

Rory nodded. "It was on silent."

"Well, I figured it was either that or the Boogieman finally got you."

Rory smiled, thinking of Tristan. "I was sleeping…" she offered.

"All day?"

Rory nodded.

"All day?" Lorelai asked, studying her daughter.

"Yup."

"Uh huh…" Lorelai said. That wasn't like Rory. She liked to sleep, but she was very productive, even when she had nothing to do. She wouldn't just sleep all day unless… "You were hungover!"

"Mom," Rory pleaded.

"Don't _Mom_ me," Lorelai said, her eyes bright with good humor. "My baby went out and actually had a good time for the first time in longer than I care to remember. What, did Paris _finally_ get over the whole drinking destroys brain cells idea of hers and go out with you?"

Rory took a deep breath and shook her head. "I went alone."

"And gut drunk enough to have to sleep it off all day?"

"I met an old friend," she said. Her heart was racing with nervous energy.

"From Chilton?"

She nodded.

"Let me guess, it was Francie."

"Ugh, God no! Why would I ever talk to that girl again?"

"I don't know. I was just trying to figure out who could possibly put that look of fear on your face. Spill."

Rory grabbed a pillow and started picking at the tassel trim. "Do you remember a guy named Tristan?"

"The one that tormented you endlessly because he was so in love with you that the only way he could let you know was be a Helga and treat you like Arnold?"

"Yah…" Rory said slowly. "That's the one."

"Wow."

"Wow what?"

"You didn't yell at me for using my Hey Arnold analogy. You used to get really mad if I so much as hinted that he had a little _crush_ on you. But wow, those Hey Arnold references were dangerous."

"I'm sorry," she responded, still picking at the pillow. Lorelai looked at her closely.

"What is it, Babe?"

"Nothing," she shrugged. "We just ran into each other at the bar, and then I went back to his room and we had some more drinks."

"And…you slept with him."

"What? No!"

"Then you are thinking of sleeping with him."

"No."

"Then what is it, Ror?"

She added another tassel thread to the growing pile on her knee. Lorelai reached over and took the pillow away from her, forcing Rory to look up at her mother's worried expression.

"Alright," she said with a sigh. "You just have to promise that you won't get mad at me when I tell you this story."

"Rory--"

"No, wait. Just understand that I didn't tell you because we were fighting, and I had already lost so much respect in your eyes that I couldn't tell you this when it was happening."

Lorelai's face was calm, but her eyes were laced with worry. Rory bravely and resolutely looked her mother in the eye and started her story.

"Do you remember the summer that I went away with Grandma?"

"Yes…"

"Well, Tristan was there."

"In Europe?"

"Yah. We ended up being in all the same places; it was something to do with the DAR or something. He had this fiancée, Shelly, and so we started off just trying to build a friendship. And I enjoyed his company. I told him all about how badly I had screwed things up by sleeping with Dean, and he told me about how he was entering into an arranged marriage with Shelly. And before we knew it, Shelly had gone back to the states for the rest of the summer, and we were alone…"

"And you slept with him…"

"Yah, but it was more than that. I really liked him, and I knew that I had real feelings for me too. But in the end he wouldn't leave Shelly, and he went back to her at the end of the summer."

"And you went back to Dean?"

Rory nodded softly. "Dean had given up Lindsay for me. And I did think that I loved him, despite the things I had felt for Tristan. I figured it was a fling, and that Dean deserved better than that."

Lorelai bit her lip, trying hard not to pass judgment on her daughter.

"I know what you are thinking, Mom," Rory said, reading Lorelai's expression. "I know that all of it was wrong. I know that everything surrounding Dean was a mistake. And I shouldn't have turned to Tristan to forget my problems. I was screwed up."

"And now he just randomly walked into the same bar that you were in."

"He left Shelly the other night."

"And just happened drive over to New Haven?"

"He walked out on his wedding at the banquet hall down the road."

"Oh shit Rory."

Rory was surprised by her mother's reaction.

"This guy is trouble, Ror. He has emotional baggage, a jilted fiancée, a very pissed off family, I'm sure. And you have Logan! What about Logan?"

"Nothing happened, Mom! We just had drinks. I am not thinking about getting involved with him again."

"You say that now but--"

"I love Logan," Rory answered. She could feel her face flushing in anger. "I love Logan, and I may have made mistakes and had very poor judgment in the past, but that does not mean that I will cheat on Logan, or in anyway betray him. He deserves better than that."

"Rory, you are lonely. You haven't seen your boyfriend in months and--"

"So I have no self control? God Mom, we have been through this a hundred times. I am okay without Logan around. I trust him, he trusts me, and I trust myself. Why can't you believe that?"

"It just seems that every time things get a little rocky in your relationship, you turn to this Tristan guy."

"Every time?"

"Well, in high school at that party…"

"And in Europe. That is twice out of all of the relationships I have had in my life. Sorry Mom, but Tristan isn't my tissue box. He's not my Christopher."

"Ouch," Lorelai said softly, looking down and away from her daughter.

"I'm sorry," Rory said, trying to fill the awful silence that had engulfed them. "I didn't mean…"

Lorelai shook her head sadly. "I just hope that you know what you're doing, Kid. I hope that you have better sense when it comes to relationships than I do."

--

--

Rory tossed her keys on the kitchen counter when she got home. She made a straight line to the bedroom where she undressed and slipped into bed. The big, empty bed. Their bed. Her bed. She sighed and closed her eyes, willing sleep to come. She found herself remembering waking up in Tristan's arms, and was surprised to find that she missed the sensation. She missed waking up to another body.

She let out a groan of frustration and threw one of the large, unnecessary pillows at the wall. Logan hadn't called her in a few days. She reached for the phone and dialed his number. There was no answer, and she hung up when his message machine clicked on. It was late there, or early morning, depending how she looked at it.

She hung up the phone, but did not settle back against the pillows again. Instead she dialed Tristan's number and tried to push back the guilt that rose in her chest from the pleasure the sound of his simple 'hello?' elicited.

--

--

A/N: sorry that there wasn't much T/R. next chapter, I promise. Tell me what you think, please. And suggestions are always welcome. I want to know how you think that the timing should go in this story. I have my ideas of course, but who knows, yours might be better : )

And if this was filler, I am sorry. I just wanted to make it clear that Rory's life continued as it did on the show from the point that she returned from Europe until now. Lorelai still broke up with Luke and slept with Chris etc. This just goes on more year into the future.


	4. Chapter Four

A/N: Sorry to leave you guys hanging. I went on a very _very_ long family vacation. But I am home now and I can finally get back to the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls. I said a couple of chapters back that if I did, I would have it on TV everyday. It was pointed out that it _is_ on ABC Family everyday, but that channel just makes me mad because they stick an extra commercial break in the last segment, which is just unnecessary. So if I owned the show, I would put it on without the extra break, and I would have done season six completely differently. But that's a whole other rant…

Chapter Four

"Tristan, open up," Rory called, unable to free her hands to knock on the door. "Don't leave me waiting out here forever."

Tristan groaned and rolled out of bed, glancing at the clock as he stood. He crossed the room and opened the door. "You do know that it is only ten in the morning and you are out of your mind for waking me up."

Rory pushed past him and walked across the room to the arm table where she placed the two coffees and the stack of newspapers she was carrying.

"We have a lot to do today," she said. "There's no use lazing about until mid afternoon."

"But we just got off the phone-" he looked at the clock again, "five hours ago."

"Well, you know what they say. Haste makes waste."

"What? That doesn't make any sense."

Rory's cheerful face fell slightly as she considered what she said. "Well, I don't know, I haven't had any coffee yet." She took one of the large coffee cups from the drink carrier and sat down on Tristan's messy bed. With a small groan and a large stretch, Tristan grabbed his own cup and sat down next to her.

"What are the papers for," he asked at length.

"Job listings."

"What?"

"Well, I was thinking about this whole independence thing. Working for your father is useless because you will just be back under his will. You need to find your own job, make your own name."

"I hardly think that the Classifieds will help me find my dream job. When have you ever known the Hartford paper to publish job listings for top companies?"

Rory shrugged. "It's a start, isn't it?" She tossed him a paper. "Now, you majored in Business, right?"

"Right."

"So do you have any ideas about where you would want to work, what kind of business?"

"Well, I assumed it would be insurance, but…"

"Do you have any fields that you would refuse to work in?"

"Insurance," he answered, causing Rory to smile.

---

---

An hour and a half later, they had made little progress. Rory had gotten her hopes up when Tristan pulled out his cell phone, but her hopes plummeted as she heard him make an offer on a vintage car.

Tristan snapped his phone closed, a disappointed look on his face. "He already sold it," he said.

Rory rolled her eyes. "Oh, that's such a shame. I know how much you need another vintage car."

"Hey!"

"But, since you have your phone out…"

"What?" he asked, a little defensively.

"Call him, Tristan," she said, the playful tone gone from her voice.

He just looked away.

"It's been three days. You can't ignore this forever."

Tristan remained silent for a minute or so. Finally, with a sigh of defeat, he flipped open his phone and dialed the number of his father's office.

It rang twice before the secretary picked up. "CEO's office, Molly speaking."

He didn't know why, but he put the call on speakerphone.

"Hi Molly, this is Tristan. Is my father available by any chance?"

"Not right now, sweetie. He's in the middle of a business call."

Tristan looked over at Rory fixing her with an 'I told you so' look, but she just sternly gestured back towards the phone.

"I'm sure he's busy, but this is extremely important."

They listened as Molly let out a sigh. "I'll put you on hold. I can't make any promises though."

"I understand," Tristan replied. "Thank you, Molly."

"Anytime, Sugar."

The line switched over to some cheesy jazz music as he was put on hold. Tristan let out a sigh. Rory put her hand on his knee in an act of support. He ran his free hand through his hair, trying to ignore the effect the simple gesture was having on him.

They listened to the music in silence for a few minutes. Tristan finally let out a laugh, which provoked Rory to smile.

"This stuff is bad," she said. "They really should ban soft jazz from hold lines."

The line picked up in the middle of their laughterduring an incredibly piercing note.

"Janlen Dugrey speaking."

"Grandfather?" Tristan said, the surprise in his voice mirroring the look of fear that Rory read in his face. The laughter was gone from his eyes.

"Who is this?"

"It is Tristan, Sir. I was hoping to catch my father."

"He is indisposed at the moment."

Rory saw the struggle in Tristan's face.

"We have been waiting to hear from you for a very long time, Young Man," Janlen Dugrey said sternly. "You have no idea what an uproar you have caused."

"I know, Sir."

"No you don't know!" he boomed. Tristan winced slightly, and quickly took him off speakerphone and raised the cell back to his ear. "You need to explain yourself, even though I doubt that there is an explanation that will suffice."

"I couldn't marry her," he said simply.

"Of course you could marry her. Saying that you 'could not' marry her implies that you were incapable of taking part in the ceremony and taking a wife. Now, is there any reason, whether medically, or physically, you were incapable of marrying Shelly?"

"Not medically or physically-"

"Fine then. This is a simple matter of you not _wanting_ to marry the girl. And if that is the case, then I have lost all respect for my grandson. Walking out on that marriage was the most selfish thing you could have done for everyone."

"What about Shelly," Tristan asked, the anger at his grandfather's condescending tone finally preventing him from remaining composed. "Shelly deserves someone better than me, someone who can give her a nice life."

"You would have had a glorious life. However, you ruined that for her by leaving her as a jilted bride. Do you know what that will do for her reputation?"

"Oh, fuck her reputation," Tristan said sternly. Rory started rubbing small circles around his knee, which could only have been an unconscious attempt to calm him. Tristan looked at her sympathetic face and used her presence as a reminding of what he was fighting for: freedom from the life that kept her away from him.

"Tristan, do not use that tone with me."

He took a deep breath. "Listen," he said, more composed. "I am sorry that I handled things the way I did. I should not have let this relationship reach the point that it did; we should never have made it to the altar. I was unable to do the right thing and break it off years ago. But it is done, and now we all have the opportunity to move on."

"Your mother hasn't come out of her room in days. She feels like she cannot face society after what you have done."

"She doesn't need those catty women."

"She's drinking again."

"She's been an alcoholic my whole life. Please don't pretend otherwise, don't act like that is my fault."

"Tristan-"

"I didn't call you to apologize about what I did," he said, realizing for the first time what, exactly, his point was. "I will be at the house tomorrow to pack up my things."

"Where are you, Tristan?" Janlen asked with irritation.

"I'm still in New Haven," he said, without thinking. As soon as the words escaped his lips, he groaned.

"Are you with that girl?"

Nothing slipped past Janlen Dugrey. That was what made him the amazing businessman. He remembered things.

Tristan looked over at Rory, saw how she was trying to decipher the other end of the conversation. He didn't want to have to drag her into this. He didn't want her name tangled up in the whispers that would circulate his decision to leave. Not like this, not with Logan in London…

"Damn it, Tristan," Janlen cursed, the long pause obviously enough of an answer for him. "Can't you see what this is doing to the family?"

"That isn't why I left," he insisted, more calmly.

Janlen sighed. "Shelly used this as an excuse to go back to that beach bum in California."

Tristan let out a slight laugh at hearing his conservative grandfather call someone a 'beach bum.'

"What are we going to do with you, Tristan?" he sighed, affection returning to his voice.

"I need to get away," he answered honestly. "Please give me that much."

The old man was silent for a long time. Tristan listened to the static on the line as he pictured the old man at James' desk, head in hands, defeated. The image frightened him.

"You were our last hope, Tristan," he said at last. "Your parents already lost Mason, it would kill your mother to lose you."

Tristan repressed a sarcastic laugh. He hardly believed those words. His mother had never showed enough affection for him to believe such a statement. "Just give me this and you won't lose me. If you tie me to Shelly, to the company, I can't promise to be what you want me to be."

"What are you asking me? Are you asking for an allowance so that you can go be a playboy?"

What was he asking for? His grandfather's money would be a help, especially since he was unemployed.

"Just your blessing," he responded. "And your support. Make my parents understand that I need some time to live my life before I can return to their world and play by their rules. It is the only way."

"Fair enough," Janlen said. "I will talk to them. I will give you two months to get your finances in order. Starting September First I will have all of your accounts frozen and your bills put into your own name."

"Thank you, Sir."

"Now as for this girl, please Tristan, if she really means that much to you, treat her better than you treated Shelly. You have disappointed us by refusing Shelly, but this Gilmore girl is from a good family. If you love her, treat her with more respect."

"You can count on it, Sir."

"Goodbye."

"Goodbye." He closed his phone and looked up at Rory, who knew nothing of the words exchanged about her throughout the conversation.

"So?"

"I have two months to get my shit together before he cuts me off. But I think he understands. He says he will try to talk to my family for me."

She smiled, proud of him. "Good for you, Tristan. Don't you feel better now that we got that over with?"

Tristan laughed at Rory's coaching. "Thank you," he said sincerely.

"If you had told me how scary your grandfather is, I wouldn't have let you called," she replied.

"If I had known he would be answering my father's phone I wouldn't have let myself call either. I'm more afraid of him than of my father. But I guess that's because he was the disciplinarian, my father wasn't around to take care of such things himself."

Rory felt the pang of sadness that she felt whenever she though of Tristan's empty childhood. She knew what it was like to have an absent father, but his whole life was cold. Rory had an entire town raising her, looking out for her happiness. Tristan couldn't even find that in one person.

Rory stood and stretched. "I should go," she said. "Paris wants me to show up to her _Yale Daily News _boot camp that she's 'offering' for the new editors."

Tristan stood and walked her to the door. "Thank you," he said as he opened the door to her. She turned to face him, and without thinking he pulled her gently towards him and kissed her softly on her forehead. Rory closed her eyes, leaning into the warmth of his touch. She lingered a moment longer than she should have, and said a soft goodbye, leaving Tristan standing in the doorway, thinking of his grandfather's unexpected advice.


	5. Chapter Five

A/N: Sorry for the long hiatus. I got kind of caught up in the whole summer tv addiction. But I'll try to be better now.

Chapter Five

"Well, it has a lot of closet space," Rory said, desperately searching for something nice to say about Tristan's new apartment. After all, it was a major accomplishment. But the apartment was almost windowless, and the walls were all painted dark blue. The kitchen, living room, and bedroom were cramped while the bathroom barely had enough room to stand at the sink. There were two walk in closets, however, leaving Rory confused and unimpressed. But the disproportioned little apartment was Tristan's pride and joy, and she didn't want to bring him down.

Tristan laughed. "I can tell that you hate it."

"No, I don't _hate _it. Look, it's perfect for you. I'm very impressed that you found an apartment so quickly. I mean, you only started looking a week ago and you're already moved in."

"Plus it's furnished."

"There's nothing better than a pre-existing beer stained couch."

"Or a stove that has only one functional burner."

"You don't cook anyway."

"There's Chinese take-out right down the street."

Rory's cell phone started to ring. "Order orange chicken. Oh! And lots of egg rolls. I love egg rolls."

She walked out of the living room to the tiny bedroom and closed the door.

"Logan," she said, the happiness and relief evident in her voice.

"God I miss you," he said. "I feel like we haven't talked in weeks."

"We haven't," Rory said sadly. "We're getting really good at phone tag."

"I heard they're putting it in the next Olympics."

"Well we'll be gold medallists."

A moment of silence passed between them, full of awkwardness that comes from long separations. Rory was mentally debating telling him about Tristan, for the first time feeling full of guilt that she had been spending so much time with, and even occasionally sleeping in the same bed with another man.

"So what have you been up to this summer?" Logan asked.

"Well, I'm not working or taking summer courses, so I've just been relaxing," she answered. She took a deep breath. "I ran into an old friend of mine and I've been trying to help get him back on his feet."

"You're always the good Samaritan. What is he, an ex-convict, alcoholic, druggie…" Logan asked jokingly.

"No, just a recovering socialite," she replied. "His family is cutting him off."

"Ouch. What did he do, swear at a dinner function?"

Logan chuckled at his joke and Rory let out a small laugh with him.

"He walked out of his wedding."

"Shit."

"Yah."

"Who is he?"

"Um," Rory said, trying her best to be casual, but knowing that Logan could hear her discomfort. "Tristan Dugrey."

"Didn't you used to date him?" he asked quickly.

"A long time ago," Rory said. "We're just friends. He knows that he needs some time to straighten out his life before he starts dating anyone. Right now he just needs to get a job."

"You were in love with him once."

"I don't know about that…"

"You told me, when we ran into him a few years ago that he meant a lot to you."

"Logan, please, I don't want to fight with you," Rory said softly. "Just believe me. He is a friend now, and nothing more."

Logan sighed. "I trust you Rory, I just don't know if I trust _him._ God knows that if I was stupid enough to give you up I would try everything to bring you back to me."

They sat in silence for a minute or so, both thinking about their distant relationship.

"But that isn't why I called," Logan finally said. "There's a meeting I have to go to in New York City, but I managed to schedule it so that I can spend three days with you in New Haven."

"Really?" Rory asked, her excitement carrying through the phone, sweeping away Logan's concerns.

"I fly in the day after tomorrow."

"Oh Logan," Rory sighed. "I miss you so much."

"I know," he said softly. "I miss you too."

--

--

"Food's here," Tristan said as Rory walked back into the main part of the apartment. She tucked her phone back in her pocket and sat down at the small table. Tristan was opening boxes and examining their contents. "I don't have any plates," he said.

"Chinese tastes better in boxes," Rory said matter-of-factly. She took a pair of chopsticks and started eating the fried rice.

"So, was that Logan?" Tristan asked casually.

"Yup."

Tristan just shoveled chow mien into his mouth and nodded, not pressing the subject. Rory nibbled on an egg roll, mentally chastising herself for not having the nerve to tell Tristan that Logan was coming to town. She didn't know why, but for whatever reason she just couldn't bring herself to do it.

"So I heard back from the woman I told you about, the one that offered me a position at their company a few months back."

"Yah? What did she say?"

"Well she said that she was disappointed that I had rejected her offer to work for them when it was made to me last semester. But she said that the guy they hired didn't work out and that I happened to have good timing because the job was open again. I have an interview tomorrow."

"That's awesome, Tristan."

"I'll have to commute to the city, but I can't afford an apartment there. Not yet, anyway. So it looks like you are stuck with me in New Haven."

Rory smiled and finished off her egg role. She didn't know why she couldn't bring herself to tell Tristan that Logan would be in town, and that reality frightened her. But she helped herself to more rice, and tried her best to calm her confused mind.


	6. Chapter Six

A/N: another chapter for you guys. I hope you enjoy this story so far and since I write it as I go suggestions are always welcome :)

Disclaimer: I think I forgot this in the last chapter. Well anyway, I don't own Gilmore Girls or any of that so please don't sue.

Chapter Six

---

---

"It's really dark in here Tristan," Rory said as she walked past him into the apartment.

"I haven't exactly gotten around to buying lamps. This place doesn't have any overhead lighting in the living room. Only in the closets."

"What is it with these people and their closets? Do they think they will take them to Narnia or something?"

Tristan chuckled.

"I seriously can't see in here," Rory said, looking around the apartment. The small window was open and it allowed the streetlight to enter into the room, but it only provided enough light for her to make out Tristan's vague image.

"Your eyes will adjust."

"What have you been doing, just sitting in the dark?"

"I had the TV on in my room."

"Anything good on?"

"I only get the local stations. No cable yet. The ten o'clock news should be starting soon…"

"Lead the way," she said. Tristan took her hand in his, surprising Rory, and gently guided her towards his bedroom. The simple gesture made her think of Logan, and she flushed with guilt as she yet again failed to mention his upcoming arrival.

Tristan let go of her hand as they both crawled onto his bed. They settled themselves against pillows propped against the wall; he had no headboard.

"Do you want anything to drink?" he asked as the news started.

"Water?"

"How about wine?"

"What are we celebrating."

"I think my interview went really well," he said, unable to suppress the smile that was tugging at his lips.

Rory broke out into a genuine smile. "Oh my gosh, I completely forgot to ask about it. I'm so happy for you, Tristan."

"Maybe I'll be able to buy lamps now," he said as he disappeared into the darkness to get the wine and glasses. Rory settled more comfortably against the pillows. She smiled to herself as she thought about how Tristan had bought himself a decent sized television and most likely some very expensive wine but had not considered the lights. It was characteristic of him.

He returned and handed Rory a glass that was full almost to the brim. In the bright light from the television he saw Rory's disapproving look and shrugged. "You know we're going to finish off the bottle. I might as well save myself the effort of refilling the glass every other sip."

Rory shook her head but sipped the smooth wine, enjoying the feeling it gave her.

---

---

Rory woke up, feeling Tristan stir. He gently slid off the bed, causing Rory to move her head from his chest to the pillow. The cell phone started another round of shrill ringing, reminding her what had caused her to awake. Tristan answered it and walked out of the bedroom.

The windowless bedroom was dark, but the TV was still on and the light and noise irritated her enough to prevent her from going back to sleep. With a sigh she sat up, stretched, and got out of bed, feeling the headache from the wine as she stood.

She found Tristan pacing the kitchen floor, listening to the other end of his cell phone. Rory yawned and squeezed past him. She poured herself a glass of water as a replacement for the coffee which he did not have.

"Thank you," Tristan said before clicking his cell phone shut. He turned around, and Rory looked up to see him grinning.

"I got the job," he said, his voice full of pride.

"No…" Rory said, waking up and mirroring his wide smile.

"I got the job," he repeated, "I start Monday."

"Tristan that's awesome!" Rory said. She took a step forward and put her arms around him, standing on her tip toes to kiss his cheek. Tristan turned his head quickly, reflexively, and captured her lips in his. His heartbeat quickened as they remained in the embrace; she didn't kiss him back, but she didn't pull away either.

It took Rory what seemed like an eternity to regain her senses. When she did, she took a step back, breaking her kiss. She found balance against the kitchen counter, and she gripped it to steady herself.

"I…I'm sorry," Tristan stuttered as he noticed the fear replace the brightness in her eyes. "I was just excited and--"

"Logan's coming into town tonight," she said quickly.

Tristan's heart skipped a beat; he felt completely caught off guard. "What?"

Rory nodded and Tristan noted how her posture had slipped so that her shoulders were curling inwards; her discomfort was making her defensive.

"Logan is coming here, tonight?"

She nodded again and looked away.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked steadily, hoping that his voice did not betray the hurt he was feeling at her omission.

"It just happened," she said.

"When?"

"I have to go Tristan," she said, walking out of the kitchen.

"Rory, wait."

She kept walking and Tristan followed her to the door. "Don't walk away," he said softly. "I'm sorry."

Rory opened the door and left him, afraid of the pain she detected in his voice, afraid of the way he kissed her, and afraid of the way she let him.


	7. Chapter Seven

A/N: Hello everybody. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and I would like to preface it by saying that I do not hate Logan. I am very happy that he is a part of the show, but I will stand by Tristan's upcoming assumption that Logan and Tristan are one and the same. Think about it, they made a mistake sending Tristan away, and when they were ready to reintroduce the rich, blonde playboy, CMM was all tied up with One Tree Hill. But that is just my rambling opinion…On with the story!

Disclaimer: I don't own Gilmore Girls, or the characters, or CMM. Sigh.

Chapter Seven

Rory crashed into his arms the second he stepped off the escalator into the baggage claim area. Logan dropped his carry-on bags and wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her hair, inhaling her warm, familiar scent.

After a long moment Rory pulled back slightly and loosened her grip to wipe her tear-filled eyes.

Logan kissed her, and with a little sniffle Rory gave in to the kiss. "God I missed you," he whispered.

"You have no idea," she responded, wiping her eyes again. She sniffled and laughed a little. "I'm an idiot."

"You're beautiful," he insisted.

She smiled and looked over towards the baggage claim. "Do you have any bags?"

"Just my carry-ons," he answered.

She stooped to pick up his heavy bag. "Let's go," she said, stumbling under the weight.

"Ace…" he said. "Come on, what are you doing?"

"You are my guest. Guests don't carry their own bags."

He laughed. "Maybe so, but guests generally know how to pull out the handle so that the bag rolls."

Rory watched in mock wonder as he reclaimed his suitcase and demonstrated it's rolling capabilities. "A miracle," she joked.

"You should see how I convert my phone into an MP3 player."

"Showoff," she teased. "I would like to see that when we get home."

"Really, because I was thinking that there are other things that I would much rather show you."

Logan's suggestive smirk conveyed his meaning, and Rory smiled. She took his hand and led him out of the airport, feeling like a missing piece had found its way back to her heart.

---

---

"Dust much?" Logan teased as he rummaged through the dusty kitchen cabinets for a water glass.

Rory blushed slightly. "I--well…I haven't been eating at home very much lately."

"It looks like you haven't touched anything in this apartment since I left."

"Well that is a bit extreme," she said.

"Have you been staying with that Tristan guy?" Logan asked, causing Rory to look up at him, the surprise evident in her face.

"What?"

He shrugged. "It's pretty obvious that this place is barely lived in."

She looked down and sighed. Logan observed the mixture of emotions that crossed her face. "I'm not accusing you of anything, Ror," he said kindly. "I'm glad that you have found some company. I hate thinking that you are alone all of the time."

He brought his water over to the table where she was sitting and claimed the spot next to her.

She looked down at her folded hands. "Yeah. I guess I have been spending most of my time there. He's needed some help getting back on his feet."

They sat in silence for a few minutes before Rory got up and proceeded to make coffee. She had a feeling that they were in for a long night.

"How about you," she asked, glad that her hands were busy measuring coffee grinds so that she didn't have to face him. "Have you found any company in London?"

"I'm always working," he said with a sigh. "I've been putting in hundred hour weeks. When I finally get home I just crash."

Rory finished starting the coffee pot and reclaimed her seat next to Logan.

"Would you like to meet him?" she asked, breaking a long, tense silence.

Logan looked up, surprised. "Tristan?"

"Yeah. Well, I guess you already know him a little. But would you like to go to dinner with him or something?" She watched as Logan tried to figure out her offer. Rory sighed, surprised at herself that she was suggesting this. "I just want you to see how I've been spending my time, that there is nothing for you to worry about."

"I'm not worried," Logan assured her.

"Well I am," she admitted nervously. "I mean, we're just friends, but I worry that you think there is something more there. It would make me feel better to show you."

Logan took her hand in his. "I trust you Ace. You have never given me reason to doubt you."

Rory's eyes fluttered away from his own and settled on their entwined hands. _But he doesn't know about kissing Jess last year, or kissing Tristan last night._

The coffee pot stopped it's deep purring, alerting Rory that it was ready. She stood up, breaking the moment and trying to break her guilt as she moved to the counter to pour two cups of coffee.

---

---

Tristan hated him.

They had moved in the same circles for years, had made small talk for years, had been friendly for years. But tonight all of that was forgotten when Tristan saw the way Rory leaned into him, the way she laughed at his jokes, the way he so intimately looked into her eyes.

Tristan had known, of course, that these things would bother him. As soon as he had answered Rory's call and accepted her awkward invitation he had realized this wouldn't be a fun evening. He had instantly remembered the event they had all attended many months ago, the way his heart had stirred with jealousy when he had seen Logan enter with Rory, the way she kissed him so happily.

This evening was self-inflicted torture, but he was here for Rory. She had some kind of motive here, and although Tristan couldn't put his finger on exactly what that motive was, he knew that he wanted to make her happy. Making her happy meant sitting in misery while he watched the couple happily chatter away.

It didn't take long for Tristan to realize why he hated Logan so much. It was evident in the first five minutes that Logan was no different than Tristan. He shared the same smirk, wit, circumstance, and affections for Rory as Tristan. He even had a nickname for her, which he muttered like an endearment. This was immensely displeasing. Logan was simply Tristan's replacement; Rory couldn't have Tristan, and so she settled for Logan.

At least this is what Tristan mulled over as he downed several rounds of beer at the casual bar and grill they were eating at.

When they all finally agreed to call it a night, Tristan was dying to kiss Rory on the cheek, if only to rile up Logan. But he remembered their untimely kiss several nights before and thought the better of it. Instead he shook Logan's hand, and waved Rory off as Logan slipped his left arm around her waist.

But really, what kind of name is _Huntzberger_?


	8. Chapter Eight

A/N: Thanks for the reviews, they keep me going. This is a little short, and I apologize for that. I hope everyone is enjoying their summer, because I'm loving mine : ) And if I update more irregularly than usual, I apologize and offer this excuse: I'm writing six stories right now. Yeah, I know, crazy. This is the only one posted, but my mind is on overdrive and I'm going crazy. So I can't just focus on this one. Sigh.

Disclaimer: If I owned Gilmore Girls would I have to write one of these damn things?

Chapter Eight

Rory lie awake, thinking about the way Tristan had acted at dinner. He had been angry, she could tell. He had tried to mask his anger with indifference that bordered on rudeness, but she saw past it. She couldn't pretend to herself anymore. Tristan was jealous of Logan.

She closed her eyes for the hundredth time, willing sleep to take over her restless mind. Logan lie next to her, breathing steadily.

"He still likes you, you know," Logan said, startling Rory. She lie still, not turning to face him as she thought about his statement. It hadn't been an accusation, but it was true. So Logan had also seen the look in Tristan's eyes tonight.

"I know," she answered simply.

"Do you think he still loves you?"

Rory rolled over to face him, even though she could barely make out his features in their dark room. "He never loved me," she replied.

"That's why it ended, didn't it?"

Rory sighed. "Yeah."

"Were you happy when you were with him?"

"Logan, where is this all coming from?"

"Just answer me, Ace."

"I was never _with_ him."

"That's right, it was just a thing," he answered with a trace of sarcasm.

"Exactly. It was summer when I was incredibly screwed up and I needed someone."

"But were you happy with him?"

"It wasn't a happy time in my life. My mom and I were fighting, I had just broken up Dean and Lindsay--"

"But did _he_ make you happy?"

"Is this leading into a 'was he better in bed than I am' conversation, because if it is, I want to go back to sleep."

Logan let out a small laugh and traced his fingers down her cheek. "He made you happy."

"Well the leaving me for Shelly was kind of a low point in the relationship."

"Rory, please, just answer me."

Rory rubbed her sleepy eyes. "Fine, yes, I was as happy as I could have been at that time when I was with him."

A long moment passed as Logan processed this information, leaving Rory to wonder why he was asking her all of these things. It was their last night together, and she didn't want to spend it talking about Tristan.

"Do you think you could be happy again?"

"What?" she asked, her heart skipping a beat in fear at Logan's words.

"You and Tristan. Do you think that your feelings could ever be rekindled if you both tried to give it another shot."

"I'm not doing that, Logan."

"I'm not accusing you of it. I'm just wondering if you think you could be happy."

"I don't understand."

"He loves you Rory, and he's been waiting patiently for you for a few months now."

"And…"

"And maybe you would be happier with a guy that is sitting right here, waiting patiently for you instead of wasting your time with a jackass who is off in London working one hundred hours a week and can't make it to a phone to call you."

Rory sat up and flicked on the lamp on the bedside table. She watched as Logan squinted in an attempt to adjust to the light.

"Are you breaking up with me?"

"If you want me to."

She sat there, the shock evident on her face. "I don't even know how to respond to that except to tell you that if you think that is what I want than you really are a jackass."

Logan sat up too. "I'm giving you an out Rory. If you are unhappy in this relationship, which I can't see how you couldn't be, than you deserve to get out now and find someone who can be there for you."

"You are here for me," she said softly, taking his hand.

"I mean in the same state, let alone the same country."

"I can't believe you are saying this to me," Rory mumbled, to herself more than to Logan.

"I don't want you to be lonely and unhappy."

"I'd being lying if I told you that I don't miss you."

"The way things are going, it looks like I will be in London for at least another year."

"And I will be busy with school."

"What then?"

"There are newspapers in London."

"You would move there?"

"It's an option," she answered. Logan looked at her with sadness in his eyes.

"I don't want you to have to change your plans just to be with me."

"But I want to."

Logan sighed, and once again stroked her cheek. "I don't want to hold you to any of those ideas, Ace," he whispered, "just in case you change your mind."

"God, I feel like you're breaking up with me," she said, sniffling back the tears that were building in her eyes.

Logan kissed her softly, and Rory melted into his touch. "I love you," he whispered.

"I know," she returned softly before kissing him back.

--

--

Reviews, please! I would really like to know how you guys feel about Logan's offer.


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